Sarah Palin, Lindsey Graham, and the Demise of the GOP

It's nearly Christmas, but it seems there's no room at the inn for moderate Republicans.

As if all the pandering and patriotic, moralist outbidding hadn't been enough (i.e. perfectly respectable Republicans like John McCain pulling perfectly idiotic moves like picking Palin as his running mate), now the GOP extremists are turning on staunch defenders of the conservative tradition. Sen. Lindsey Graham (South Carolina) is taking flack from his peers for supporting those damned liberals by pursuing immigration reform and confirming Justice Sotomayor. Nevermind all those years of protecting Republican interests (South Carolina Rift Highlights Debate Over G.O.P., Dewan).

Honestly, I'm beginning to enjoy all of it. I hope the right-wingers get crazier. I hope they keep manipulating the masses, I hope that Fox News and conservative talk radio continue to refuse time to anyone with half a brain and an ounce of reason. And most of all, I hope Palin shows strong in 2012.

Why would I hope for my country to be overrun by a mob of ignorant control freaks? Because I'm hoping someone will finally have the guts to split the GOP into the two parties it should have become fifteen years ago: a moderate conservative party and a right-wing populist party. Yes, it's true that this would give some of the crazies a legitimate chance at governing, but, well, such is the price of democracy. I'm willing to sacrifice for the benefits that would occur from the development of a credible conservative party headed by good people like Colin Powell, Bobby Jindal, and Jon Huntsman. Smart, progressive individuals who actually want to make the country a good place instead of hauling it back to the Dark Ages. 

It's probable that the Democrats would lose some of their moderate and conservative members, like our good ole' Blue Dogs, to a moderate Republican party. But there's no real problem to that. Having a few members switch over could promote a bipartisan coalition to fight off the populists. 

Of course, this is all my being extremely hopeful. It's impossible to know where this country is headed ideologically, especially in a time of intense international political and economic upheaval. 

Here's hoping.